Journal box wear plate



June 17, 1958 H. BLATTNER 2,839,341

JOURNAL BOX WEAR PLATE Filed April 19, 1956 FIG. 3

Inventor:

Emil H. Bluttner his Attorney FIG. 5

United States Patent JOURNAL BOX WEAR PLATE Emil H. Blattner, Williamsville, N. Y., assignor to The Symington-Gould Corporation, Depew, N. Y., a corporation of Maryland Application April 19, 1956, Serial No. 579,347 6 Claims. (Cl. 308-54) This invention relates to wear plates for railway journal boxes and has for its primary object the provision of an improved wear plate for protecting the roof and brass lugs ofthe journal box from wear resulting from lateral movement of the journal box relative to the axle.

Despite the interlock between an axle and a journal box fitted with a solid bearing, provided by the brass lugs through the wedge and brass, some relative lateral movement takes place under the transverse forces acting on atruck in motion. The consequent rubbing of the wedge against the roof of the journal box and of both wedge and brass against the brass lugs causes wear of both roof and brass, the latter in turn aggravating the condition by permitting increased relative movement. 'Such wear, if continued for a sulficient time, will weaken the roof to the danger point. While of moment in separate journal boxes, this is of especial concern in the case i proved wear plate for journal boxes which not only protects both roof and brass lugs against wear, but is readily installed and removed and requires a minimum modification of the journal box,

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved wear plate for the roof and brass lugs of a journal box which holds itself in place by clamping to the brass lugs.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved wear plate for the roof and brass lugs of a journal box which, while carrying means for clamping itself in position to the brass lugs, may be inserted or removed without modification of waste retaining ribs or similar structure in the journal box below the brass lugs.

An additional object of the invention is to provide an improved wear plate for roof and brass lugs of a journal box which, while held against vertical dislodgment between the roof of the journal box and the wedge by the weight of the car, holds itself against dislodgment longitudinally of the journal box by flanges carried by its brass lug protecting portions which embrace the brass lugs and serve as well toprotect the sides and particularly the outboard sides of the brass lugs from wear. 1 Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter in the detailed description, be particularly pointed out in the appended claims and be illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of a journal box to which a preferred embodiment of the wear *plate. of the present invention has been applied, the view .being taken partly in front of the wedge and brass and partly through the center of one of the brass lugs; A .Figure 2 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken 2,839,341 Patented June 17, 1958 2 along the lines 2 -2 of Figure 1 with the wedge and brass removed;

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken along the lines 33 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is an isometric view of the wear plate of Figure 1 removed from the journal box, and

Figure 5 is a fragmentary isometric view of a modified form of the wear plate of Figure 4.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, in which like reference characters designate like parts, the improved wear plate of the present invention, designated generally as 1, while applicable to both integral and separate journal boxes, has been applied for purposes of illustration to a journal box 2 of the type formed integrally with a side frame, only so much of the journal box being shown as is necessary for an understanding of the invention. The illustrated journal box 2 has conventional front and rear openings 3 and 4 respectively, and is fitted for the usual journal bearing or brass 5 and .wedge 6, having instanding from each of its side walls 7 a brass lug 8 which, with a wedge lug 9 depending from the roof, holds the wedge and brass in place within the journal box. The illustrated journal box also is fitted with means for retaining waste in the bottom of the box in the form of a pair of waste retaining ribs 10 each integral with and extending longitudinally of one of its side walls 7 and spaced below the associated of the brass lugs 8.

When first placed in service, a journal box of the type now generally used has its roof or top wall 11 substantially fiat intermediate the wedge lug 9 and its dust guard slot 12. However, in service the sliding of the wedge 6 relative to the roof in response to transverse forces acting on the railway truck (not shown) of which the journal box forms a part, wears a recess in the midportion of the roof on which the vertical load is concentrated. The illustrated journal box, although new, has a recess 13 in and extending across the roof 11 above the brass lugs 8 so as to simulate in contour a worn roof and enable similar wear plates to be applied to both new and worn journal boxes.

The wear plate 1 of the present invention is designed to be installed and removed when necessary through either of the front and rear openings 3 and 4 in the journal box and formed of relatively hard resilient material, such as spring steel. The Wear plate is of substantially U-shape and has ahorizontally directed top portion or web 14 which is adapted to fit into the recess 13 and abut, lie against, or underlie the roof 11. The top portion 14 extends transversely across the roof and at either end merges in depending or downstanding portions, arms or legs 15, each of which is adapted to abut, lie against or overlie one of the inwardly directed or confronting surfaces or faces 16 of the pair of brass lugs 8. Vertically directed and conforming when in place to the surfaces 16 of the brass lugs 8, the downstanding portions 15 are initially slightly out-bent or divergent below the top portion 14 so as to be held by the resilience of the material in tight engagement with the brass lugs. As will be noted, the top and downstanding portions 14 and 15 are substantially flat, as befits the surfaces which they abut, and the top portion preferably covers only the middle part of the roof on which the wear is concentrated, enabling the several portions to be substantially coextensive in width.

Outstanding from and bounding the opposite sides of each of the depending portions 15 are flanges 17 which are adapted to overlie and engage the outboard and inboard sides 18 of the associated brass lug 8 and, initially, preferably are bent inwardly or converge slightly away from the depending portion so that they resiliently or yieldably clamp or .grip the brass lug between them.

Wheninstalled, the engagement of the depending .portions 15 and their flanges 17 with the inwardly directed surfaces 16 and inboard and outboard sides 1%, respective1y,;of the brass lugs 8will suflice to prevent displacement of the wear plate both vertically and longitudinally of :the journal box. However, if it isdesired toincrease the clamping or gripping force over that provided by the-slightly inbent flanges 17 of the form shown in Figure 4, this may readily be obtained by horizontally splitting or otherwise making eachof the'flanges in two parts so as to provide tabs or tab portions 19 ateither side which may be further inbcnt, this modification being shown in Figure 5.

.If the wear plate is to be fitted or installed in a journal box not having the waste retaining ribs 10 of the illustrated embodiment, the flanges at the opposite sides of the Wear plate may be of the same height with the upper edges 20 of both preferably sloping downwardly and outwardly to avoid interference with other structure within the journal box. However, to install such a wear plate in a journal box of the type illustrated would require that its depending portions be sprung inwardly suiiiciently for its flanges to clear the waste retaining ribs, it being undesirable to slot such ribs to take the flanges because of the danger that particles of waste might pass through the slots. Although the wear plate is made of resilient material, the excessive springing to clear the waste ribs not only would make its assembly and removal di'fiicult but would unduly stress the wear plate. Accordingly, the necessity for such springing 'is avoided in the illustrated embodiments by making the flanges at one side of the wear plate shorter than those at the other, so that while the several flanges extend to the bottoms of the depending portions 15 and thus cover the lower portions of the outboard and inboard sides 18 of the brass lugs 8 and prevent movement of the wear plate longitudinally of the journal box, the shorter lugs are of such height as to pass through the vertical space between the brass lugs and waste retaining ribs :10 during installation or removal of the wear plate.

While with the flanges at one side so shortened, the wear plate may be installed from either end of a box fitted with waste retaining ribs, so long as the shorter flanges are in the lead, it is preferred in such case to install the wear plate through the front opening 3 so that the longer flanges, which extend substantially the full height of the brass lugs 8, will be available when the wear plate is in place to protect the outboard of the sides 18 of the brass lugs from wear by the wings or lugs 21 of the brass 5. Then, when the wear plate has been inserted sufficiently to bring its depending portions 15 in vertical alignment with the brass lugs S, the wear plate is slid upwardly to final position with its top portion abutting the roof 11 and its flanged end portions embracing the brass lugs 8. To facilitate this last step, the brass lugs preferably are bevelled or tapered at one and preferably both sides adjacent their lower ends, as indicated at 22, to guide the shorter flanges or, if of equal length, the several flanges 17 onto the sides id of the brass lugs. Once in place, the wear plate not only protects the surfaces of the roof and brass lugs against wear, but by the engagement of its flanged end portions to the brass lugs, holds itself in place against displacement either vertically or longitudinally of the journal box.

While resiliency is essential for the wear plate to hold itself in place when the journal box is removed from the axle, as during a wheel change, the wear plate in service will be held against vertical dislodgment between the roof 11 ofthe journal box and the wedge 6 by the weight oflthe car. If, therefore, in a given application it is unnecessary that the wear plate hold itself against vertical .dislodgmentonce it is in position, the resiliency can be dispensed with and the wear plate made in one part or, if desired, in two,tas by splitting it through its top portion .14, the flanges 17 on the end portions '15 then serving to .preventdisplacement .of the wear plate in either direction longitudinally of the journal box as the latter and the axle move relative to each other under lateral forces. In such case, it is preferred and it is also desirable, even in the resilient form, that the upper surface 23 of the top portion 14 be serrated, knurled or otherwise roughened, as illustratedin Figure 4, so as to interlock againstsliding with the unmachined and thus relatively rough undersurface of the roof against which it bears.

From the above detailed description it will be apparent that there has been provided an improved wear plate which not only protects the roof and brass lugs of a journal box against wear but holds itself in place when installed and may be installed and removed with a minimum modification of the journal box. It should be understood that the described and disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention and that all modifications are intended to beincluded which do not :depart from either the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended'claims.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. The combination with a journal box having a pair of. lugs instanding from opposite side walls and a roof, of a removable wear plate formed of relatively hard resilient material and comprising a top portion abutting and extending across said roof between said lugs, a pair of arms depending from opposite ends of said top portion and each yieldably urged into tight engagement with an inwardly directed surface of one of said lugs, and flanges outstanding from opposite sides of each of said arms, and engaging outboard and inboard sides of the associated of said lugs, said wear plate being held against displace ment vertically and longitudinally of said box by said engagement of said flanged arms with said lugs.

2. The combination with a journal box having .a .pair of lugs instanding from opposite side Walls, axoof and ribs extending longitudinally of said side walls and spaced below said roof, of a removable wear plate formed vof relatively hard resilient material and comprising a top portion abutting and extending across said roof between said lugs, end portions depending from opposite ends of said top portion and each yieldably urged into tight engagement with an inwardly directed surface of one of said lugs, and flanges outstanding from opposite sides of each of said end portions and engaging outboard and inboard sides of the associated of said lugs, said flanges at one side of said wear plate being of less height than said end portions and adapted to pass between said lugs and ribs during insertion andv removal of said wear plate, and said wear plate when in place being held against displacement vertically and longitudinally of said journal box by said engagement.

3. The combination with a journal box having a pair of lugs instanding from opposite side walls and a roof, of a removable wear plate formed of relatively hard resilient material and comprising a top portion abutting and extending transversely of said roof between said lugs, end portions downstanding from opposite ends of said top portion and each yieldably urged into tight engagement with an inwardly directed surface of one of said lugs, and flanges Outstanding from opposite sides of each of said end portions and overlying and engaging inboard and outboard sides of the associated of said lugs, said flanges each having a tab portion separate from and bent inwardly relative to the remainder thereof for resiliently gripping said sides of said lugs, and said wear plate when in place being held against displacement vertically and longitudinally of said journal box by said engagement.

4. The combination with a journal box having a pair of lugsinstanding' from opposite side walls thereof, a roof and a recess in and extending transversely of said roof above said lugs, of a removable wear plate formed of relatively hardresilient material, said wear plate comprising a top portion abutting said roof within said recess and extending there-across between said lugs, a pair of end portions downstanding from opposite ends of said top portion and each yieldably urged into tight engagement with an inwardly directed surface of one of said lugs, and flanges outstanding from opposite sides of each of said end portions and overlying and engaging inboard and outboard sides of the associated of said lugs, said top and end portions being substantially coextensive in width, and said wear plate being held against displacement vertically and longitudinally of said journal box by said engagement of said flanged end portions with said lugs.

5. The combination with a journal box having a pair of lugs instanding from opposite side walls and a roof, of a removable wear plate comprising a top portion abutting said roof between said lugs, a pair of arms depending from opposite sides of said top portion and each overlying an inwardly directed surface of one of said lugs, and flanges outstanding from opposite sides of said arms 6 and overlapping outboard and inboard sides of the associated of said lugs for holding said wear plate against displacement longitudinally of said box.

6. The combination with a journal box having a pair of lugs instandirig from opposite side Walls and a roof, of a removable wear plate comprising a top portion having a roughened upper surface bearing against said roof between said lugs, a pair of arms depending from opposite sides of said top portion and each overlying an inwardly directed surface of one of said lugs, and flanges outstanding from opposite sides of said arms and overlapping outboard and inboard sides of the associated of said lugs for holding said Wear plate against displacement longitudinally of said box.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,917,510 Dibble July 11, 1933 

